Michigan's 2nd Congressional District elections, 2014
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November 4, 2014 |
August 5, 2014 |
Bill Huizenga  |
Bill Huizenga |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] |
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The 2nd Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. In 2012, Rep. Bill Huizenga won his re-election bid by a margin of 37 percentage points. Huizenga defeated challengers Dean Vanderstelt (D), Ronald Graeser (I) and Ronald Welch (L) in the general election.[3]
The race was rated as "Solid R" by the Cook Political Report, indicating that Bill Huizenga (R) was favored to win in Michigan’s 2nd Congressional District. Huizenga represented a predominantly Republican district and had served multiple terms in Congress. His Democratic opponent, Dean Vanderstelt, ran as a moderate and emphasized his experience as a small business owner to appeal to voters across party lines. The city of Muskegon was considered the most politically competitive area of the district.[4]
Huizenga and Vanderstelt faced no opposition in their respective primaries. Independent candidate Ronald Graeser and Libertarian Party candidate Ronald Welch both successfully filed to run in the general election.
Cook Political Report ranked MI-02 as a Safe Republican district.[5] Huizenga had over $480,000 cash on hand for his re-election campaign leading into the election.[6] Huizenga faced limited opposition and received endorsements from several local newspapers, including the Muskegon Chronicle. The paper’s editorial board cited his congressional experience and record of representing the district’s interests as reasons for its endorsement. The editorial also noted policy differences between Huizenga and voters in the Muskegon area on issues such as same-sex marriage.[7]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
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Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[8][9]
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters must have registered by June 7, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[10]
- See also: Michigan elections, 2014
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Bill Huizenga (R), who was first elected in 2010.
Michigan's 2nd Congressional District is located in the western region of the lower peninsula of Michigan. It includes all of Lake, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, and Ottawa counties and areas of Allegan, Kent, and Mason counties.[11]
Candidates
General election candidates
- Bill Huizenga - Incumbent
Dean Vanderstelt
Ronald Graeser
Ronald Welch
August 5, 2014, primary results
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Elections
General election results
The 2nd Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Bill Huizenga (R) defeated challengers Dean Vanderstelt (D), Ronald Graeser (I) and Ronald Welch (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Bill Huizenga Incumbent |
63.6% | 135,568 | |
| Democratic | Dean Vanderstelt | 33.3% | 70,851 | |
| Libertarian | Ronald Welch II | 1.8% | 3,877 | |
| U.S. Tax Payers Party | Ronald E. Graeser | 1.3% | 2,776 | |
| Total Votes | 213,072 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State | ||||
Campaign contributions
Bill Huizenga
| Bill Huizenga (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[12] | April 15, 2013 | $143,406.56 | $65,480.64 | $(61,859.22) | $147,027.98 | ||||
| July Quarterly[13] | July 15, 2013 | $147,027.98 | $294,763.70 | $(73,392.99) | $368,399.39 | ||||
| October Quarterly[14] | October 14, 2013 | $368,399.39 | $172,168.91 | $(138,179.91) | $402,388.39 | ||||
| Year-End[15] | January 28, 2014 | $402,388.39 | $136,844.19 | $(181,138.81) | $358,093.77 | ||||
| April Quarterly[16] | April 15, 2014 | $358,093.77 | $125,627.66 | $(107,059.77) | $376,661.66 | ||||
| July Quarterly | July 15, 2014 | $376,761.00 | $173,734.00 | $(94,092.00) | $457,713.00 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $968,619.1 | $(655,722.7) | ||||||||
Dean Vanderstelt
| Dean Vanderstelt (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
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| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[17] | April 15, 2014 | $0.00 | $14,230.50 | $(8,871.69) | $5,358.81 | ||||
| July Quarterly | July 15, 2014 | $5,358.00 | $17,920.00 | $(16,524.00) | $7,755.00 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $32,150.5 | $(25,395.69) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
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2012
The 2nd Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Bill Huizenga won re-election in the district.[18]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Willie German, Jr. | 34.2% | 108,973 | |
| Republican | Bill Huizenga Incumbent |
61.2% | 194,653 | |
| Libertarian | Mary Buzuma | 2.7% | 8,750 | |
| Green | William Opalicky | 0.9% | 2,715 | |
| UST | Ronald Graeser | 1% | 3,176 | |
| Total Votes | 318,267 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Bill Huizenga won election to the United States House. He defeated Fred Johnson (D), Joseph Gilotte (L), Ronald E. Graeser (U.S. Taxpayers) and Lloyd Clarke (G) in the general election.[19]
| U.S. House, Michigan District 2 General Election, 2010 | ||||
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Bill Huizenga |
65.3% | 148,864 | |
| Democratic | Fred Johnson | 31.6% | 72,118 | |
| Libertarian | Joseph Gilotte | 1.2% | 2,701 | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Ronald E. Graeser | 1% | 2,379 | |
| Green | Lloyd Clarke | 0.9% | 2,016 | |
| Total Votes | 228,078 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
- Bill Huizenga
- Dean Vanderstelt
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR JULY 26, 2014," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "House Elections Results," accessed November 11, 2014
- ↑ The Muskegon Chronicles, "Editorial: 2nd Congressional District nod goes to incumbent Bill Huizenga based on experience," accessed October 21, 2014
- ↑ Cook Political, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR JUNE 6, 2014," June 6, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Report for Receipts and Disbursements," accessed October 6, 2014
- ↑ The Muskegon Chronicles, "Editorial: 2nd Congressional District nod goes to incumbent Bill Huizenga based on experience," accessed October 21, 2014
- ↑ NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Michigan.gov, "Questions and Answers: Michigan’s Presidential Primary," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Department of State Website, "Registering to Vote: Step 2," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "William Huizenga April Quarterly," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "William Huizenga July Quarterly," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Bill Huizenga October Quarterly," accessed October 22, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Huinzenga for Congress Year-End," accessed February 10, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Huinzenga for Congress April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Dean Vanderstelt April Quarterly," accessed April 21, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Michigan," accessed November 3, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
